Find Out More About our Children

All adopted children are different but all will have experienced separation and loss and many will have experienced a level of abuse or neglect in their earlier childhoods.  Often, the main challenge that adopters face is restoring their faith in adults.  It’s a long process but over time they will learn to trust you and it will transform their lives – as well as yours!

The ages of the children vary from babies and toddlers to older children up to 8 years of age.  We prioritise people who come forward to adopt the children who wait the longest: older children, children with disabilities, siblings and children from some black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Profiles

To give you an idea of the types of children that you might adopt, here are some example profiles of children.

Babies and Toddlers

Younger children under the age of 3 years are likely to be babies whose future development is uncertain. This may be because their mothers have misused alcohol or drugs during pregnancy or because of mental health conditions in one or other of the parents.

Siblings

Did you know almost half the children waiting for adoption need to be placed with their brothers and sisters? For these children separating them would cause further anxiety and loss, most are siblings of two who wish to stay together.  You just need to consider if you have the space and support needed in order to adopt siblings.  Being placed with a brother or sister can help a child settle into a new family and have a positive sense of who they are. For most people their relationships with their brothers and sisters are the longest lasting relationship they will have, could you help to preserve that for children waiting adoption? 

Older Children

Children of school age often wait longer for their adoptive family.  Adopters say that adopting older children can be easier in some ways, the children can talk to you about how they feel and what they want and you will know more about their history. But older children may initially find it difficult to trust adults because they fear they are going to disappear from their lives. They may take time to become attached to a new family and act up in an effort to get the love and attention they need. However, once they settle in a loving and secure environment they blossom.

 

Children with Disabilities

We need to recruit more prospective parents who can see beyond some of the challenges and relate to a child’s special needs. We know that what they need most is just as much love and care as any other child. Many people think that they would not be able to provide the type of care needed but we will give you lots of support and skills to meet a child’s individual needs. We also work with other professionals to help assess what support services will be available for the future. We would love to hear from you if you can see beyond a child's disability and just see their smile.

Ethnic Minority Children

Adopt Thames Valley have children for adoption who are not from a White British background, they are often dual heritage children with White British and African, Caribbean or Asian heritage. It is important that their own cultural background is promoted and nurtured, so we need adoptive families who have the same ethnicity or who have extended family members from the same ethnic heritage.

 
Two boys playing outside

If you would like to find out more or are ready to begin your adoption journey then we would love to hear from you today.

Adoption Enquiry
Small toddler holding an adult's hand

There are two stages in the process of adoption which we aim to complete within six months - find out more about the adoption journey.

Adoption Process
A boy on a playground swing

All adopted children are different and over time they will learn to trust you and it will transform their lives – as well as yours!

The Children